Clothes-stretching apparatus



Feb. 25, 1930. J. F. HUEBSCH 1,743,291

CLOTHES STRETCHING APPARATUS Filed June 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 25, 1930. I J. F. HUEBSCH 1,748,291

CLOTHES STRETCHING.APPARATUS Filed June 2211929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I commie STTESI Patented Feb. 25, 1930 JOSEPH F. ,nUEBsoH, or MIAMI, FLORIDA,

oo r'AnY. or MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, A CORPORATION or WISCONSIN ran oFFi'cE ASSIGNOR TO HUEBSGH MANUFACTURING 'oLoTHEs-sannrcmne APPARATUS *Application filed June 29,

' and the like prior toironing.

' "The general object of the presentinvention is'to provide a'device of simple construc tion' for firmly holding at one edge a group ofhandlzerchi'efs ofvarying sizes so that the 15, stretched in one operation, said yieldable operator may stretch the same while so held. More'particularly the invention is designed tov provide a novel form of clamping mechanism in which one of the aws is readily yield' I abletoaccommodate the clamping in a group of handkerchiefs of different sizes and hence end 19 is secured to'a coupling member different lengths so that they may be readily clamping jaw being in the form of a tensioned belt preferably associated with a yieldable i or cushion pad. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping apparatusof the type above described in which the yieldable jaw is the fixed jaw and cooperates with a relatively stiff or unyielding, movable jaw which'is normally urged against the yieldable jaw by springpressure and is moved to open posi- 'tion by the operator.

, The invention furtherconsists' in the sev eral features hereinafter described and more particularly A defined by I claims at the conclus'ion hereof. v I

w Inithe drawingsFigl is a sideelevation view of adevice embodying the invention,

parts being brokenaway and parts being shown in section;

fFig. 2 is a front elevation view, parts being broken away; 1 r p Figi 3- is a top plan view'of the device; I Fig. 4 is a 'detail'sectional View taken on the line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on theiline 5-5 of Fig. 4. I

Referringto the drawings, the numeral 6 designates the supporting frame, here shown in the form of a hollow. pedestal provided with a clothes tray 7 on its top portion, said pedestal being provided with a boss 8 aper- 1929. Serial No. 374,834.

cured a channelled metal frame 15 having rollers 16 pivotally mounted thereon adjacent its ends. A belt or strip 17 of woven fabric or fabric and rubber composition, or other suitable pliable material is anchored at one end 18 on the frame 15 and passes around one of the rollers 16, thence across the frame around the other roller 16 and at'its connecting it with one end of aspring '21 whose other end carries a threaded coupling 22 with which a rod 23, passing through one end of the frame, has threaded engagement. Thus the strip 17, yieldingly stretched under the tension exerted by thespring 21 between the rollers 16, forms a relatively fixed but yielding jaw and preferably is associated with a backing pad 24 of rubber or other suitable yielding material, the tension of the strip being adjusted by screwing the rod 23 in or out with reference to the coupling 22 to thereby increase or decrease the tension of the spring. The strip 17 and pad 24: are disposed in an inclined position to match up with the bevelled face 12 of the movable jaw which is bevelled to facilitate the positioning of the work thereon. The width of the jaw 17 is about the same as the width of the face 12 of the movable jaw. The pad 24: is secured to inturned flanges 25 on the frame 15 and preferably is about half the length of the movable jaw but centrally disposed relative thereto, the portion 26 of the jaw 10 extending parallel to the front face of the pad, While the end portions 27 of said jaw taper slightly rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 4.

The inner end of the lever 9 is disposed in the hollow pedestal and is connected by a pin 28 to a coupling member 29 having a lug 30 connected by threaded rods 31, turnbuckle 32 and forked coupling 33 to a crank arm 34 secured to an oscillatory shaft 35 journalled in the lower'portion of the pedestal and carrying a foot-treadle lever 36 projecting from the frame at one side thereof within convenient reach-of the operator of the machine.

closed position by springs 37 disposed, on opposite sides of the treadle linkage and anchored at one end to lugs 38 011 the frame and connected at their other ends to headed rods 39 passing through apertured lugs 4:0 in the coupling member 29 and adjustably secured thereto by nuts 41 whose adjustment serves to vary the tension of the spring 37 and hence the force exerted by the movable jaw against the work.

When the operator receives the handkerchiefsfrom the extractor they are damp and compressed into crumpled wads. The operator then takes one handkerchief at a time and straightens one edge, using both hands, andthen places this edge between the clamping mechanism which has been opened by -de-, pressing the treadle 86 to overcome the pressure'of'the springs 87. She then removes her hands and releases the foot treadle so that the jaws clamp this one edge of. the handkerchief and, with this edge held tight she pro ceedsto straighten the other three edgesof the handkerchief by simply pulling taut the two free corners thereof. TheoperatOr then allows this edge to fall and repeats the operation with another handkerchief without removing the first handkerchief, so that a series of superimposed handkerchiefs, indicated by the numeral 42 in Fig. 1, areheld clamped between thejawsyand successivelyoperated upon, it being noted that the edges of the handkerchiefs in this assembledgroup are clamped between the relatively rigid faces of the movable jaw and the beltl7, thepressure exerted upon the movable aw acting to movewbelt against the pad 24. From forty to fifty handkerchiefs can be straightened in this manner without removing the individual handkerchiefs after each operation and preferablyonly when the entire b-atchis straightenedwhen all the handkerchiefs are removed at one time. As the pad is of a length to accommodate all smaller sized handkerchiefs and asthe larger sized handkerchiefs'projecting beyond the pad are firmly clamped between the flexed belt and the portions 27 of the movable jaw,-all the handkerchiefs of the group, regardless ofsize, are firmly held at one edge so that the operator may successively pull on the free corners thereof to stretch them.

The tray 7 is used for receiving the work, either before or after being subjected to the stretching operation.

The frame is preferably provided at the rear with a pair of spaced wheels '43, to readily move the same about the laundry, and with adjustable feet 44 on the opposite side.

The above described machine will readily and expeditiously handle quite a number of handkerchiefs in one operation, the yielding beltj aw insures a uniform clamping engage The movable aw is normally urged to a ment and but a single adjustment is necessary for this jaw.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to" be limited to any particular form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the claims.

WVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a device of the character described,

from said frame and forming a yieldable jaw, and a movable, relatively rigid jaw cooperating with said yieldable jaw to retain the work between them.

2. In a device of the character described, I

3. In adevice of thecharacter described,

the combination of a frame,'a relatively fixed but yieldable aw mounted on and spaced from said frame in an inclined position, and a movable, relatively rigid work-supporting member mountedon said frame and having a bevelled edge cooperating with said yieldable jaw to clamp 'an edge portion of the work therebetween. r

4. In a device of the character described, r the combination of a frame, a pair of spaced guides mounted on said frame, a strip ofpliable material extending over said guides and forming a yieldable jaw, spring means for holding said fstri-p under tension, a pad of cushioning material forming a b asking for the medial portion of-said strip, and a movable jaw cooperating with said yieldable jaw to clamp the work therebetween.

, 5. In a device of the character described,

the combin ation of aframe, a pair of spaced rollers mounted on said frame, a strip of pliable materialextending over and between said rollers and forming a yieldableljam'an adjustably tensioned spring associated with said strip to tension the same, a pad'ofcushioning material forming a backing forthe medial portion of the strip, and "a movable jaw cooperating with said yieldable jawto I clamp the work th'er'ebetween.

6. In a device ofthe character described, the combination of a pedestal, a leverpivotally supported intermediate its'ends on said pedestal, a treadle-operated shaft,"linkage connecting said shaft with said 'lever, a worksupport-111g plate mounted on said lever and having an-edge forming a jaw, ayieldable jaw mounted on said pedestal and cooperating wlth said movable jaw, and spring means associated with said lever to normal-1y urge said movable jaw into engagement with said yieldable jaw.

' 7. In a deviceof the character described,

the combination with a supporting frame, of

a channelled frame member secured thereto and having inturned, medially disposed flanges, strip guides mounted in the ends of said frame, a strip of pliable material extending around said guides and between the same and forming a yieldabl-e jaw, one end of said strip beinganchored to said frame,

a spring connected to the other end of said strip, a rod mounted in said frame member and having adjustable, threaded connection with said spring to vary the tension thereof and hence the tension of said'jaw, a pad of cushioning material secured to said inturned flanges, and a movable jaw mounted on said frame and cooperating with said yieldable jawto hold the work therebetween.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

JOSEPH F. HUEBSCH. 

